Organizing Committee Apologizes After Playing North Korean Anthem Instead of South Korean Anthem

The organizing committee for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has officially apologized to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee regarding an incident where the North Korean anthem was played instead of the South Korean national anthem at a men's hockey match.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced today (September 19) that two officials from the organizing committee, including the director in charge of participating countries, visited the South Korean delegation office at around 9:00 p.m. the previous day (September 18) to apologize for the anthem playback error.

Prior to the start of the men's hockey Group A preliminary match between South Korea and Bangladesh held yesterday at the Kakamigahara Green Stadium in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, the North Korean anthem was mistakenly played instead of South Korea's national anthem.

Immediately following the incident, the South Korean delegation demanded an explanation of the circumstances from the organizing committee and sent an official letter of protest under the name of delegation head Lee Sang-hyun.

They also demanded an official apology from the organizing committee, a thorough investigation into the cause, and measures to prevent a recurrence.

The delegation previously visited the organizing committee and delivered a letter of protest regarding a performance related to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

You Seung-min, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, stated, "The misplaying of the national anthem, a symbol of the country, is something that should never happen at an international multi-sport event, and we view this matter with utmost seriousness." He added, "Above all, we will do our best to protect and support our athletes so that they can remain completely focused on their games without being affected by issues outside the competition, while continuously demanding that the organizing committee thoroughly investigate the cause and implement preventative measures to ensure similar incidents do not happen again."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.